Star Trek: The Winnowing
by The Muffin Tree
Summary: An AU story of when the mysterious Alien Probe comes to Deep Space Nine, throwing the Federation into a familar war, but with a new background!


Star Trek

The Winnowing

**-HISTORIAN'S NOTE-**

This fan fiction takes place approximately two months before Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode "Call to Arms" (2373).

Note: This Fan Fiction is a bit AU. These events did not happen during the show.

Somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant...

The entity has been on its mission for its 500 millennia of existence. It had been the Seeker, the Translator, the Nomad, and the Probe of the Creators. Yet it found what it never expected, mites who could speak the True Language. Even if it just was a primitive imitation. Now the entity could go on and continue its mission for finding more Super-Whales like its creators, who are now scattered to separate, hidden homeworlds. On its mission, it will also look for mites who can speak with it, and look for its creators. Maybe the mites have an idea where they went, for it was the mites who drove the creators from their world. The entity once considered all mites to be evil, malicious beings who only caused the destruction of their race, but now, it knew better. The Spock mite had shown the entity how the mites had a role in the universe as well. The mites had helped the entity understand how it could simply talk to them without the destruction that it brought to some planets. But there were times that it was necessary to bring such force. It knew from the database the entity found on the creators' homeworld that they had brought such wrath. The creators had done it only once, to the world that the mites had destroyed the creators' homeworld. There advanced scientific achievements were able to create a weapon, a terrible weapon, which could be used to destroy an entire planet...

On board Deep Space Nine, it was a normal day at Quark's.

"So, what can I do for you, Dax?" Quark spoke to one of his regulars.

"How 'bout a Black Hole?" Jadzia inquired.

"Coming right up." Quark said as he fumbled to get the drink prepared. "So, what's with all those Bajorans on the station?"

Jadzia chugged a bit of her Ferengi beverage. "It's one of their festivals this week, and Captain Sisko is holding one of the ceremonies."

"Oh boy! Never heard of it." Quark said with a smirk. _Another one of those damn prophet festivals_, Quark thought,_ They don't even come in and get drinks!_

"I don't doubt, Quark. There is no profit in religion." Jadzia elaborated.

"That's right; they don't buy drinks, so I'm not interested." Quark said it with a tone of a Vulcan, emotionless. "Maybe I can find something to sell to them."

Jadzia stood up. "You do that Quark. We still have Tongo tonight with the boys?"

"Of course! Tonight at 2000 hours. And I'll bring the drinks, but not for free." Quark said as the Ferengi he was.

"Don't worry; I have enough latnum to give you." Jadzia laughed.

"Just as I like to hear!" Quark exclaimed.

"Good bye, Quark." Jadzia said as she left.

Quark just smiled, and walked over to refill Morn's drink. When he put the bottle down Hendak, one of his Ferengi waiters, came running at him.

"Quark!" Hendak yelled.

"What is it now?" Quark said with a sigh.

"A Ferengi shuttle has docked at docking port three! It's the Grand Nagus!" Hendak exclaimed.

"The Nagus!" Quark said with great zeal. "Watch the bar!" Quark jumped right over the bar, and out the door.

Running at full speed, Quark made it to the shuttle. The giant red door rolled out, revealing Grand Nagus Zek, and Quark's mother, Ishka.

"Zek! Moogie! " Quark spoke excitedly, knowing that the Nagus always indulged himself when he visited.

"Moooooooooooggggiieeeeeee!" Rom screamed as he ran down the street, with everyone staring at him.

"Rom, Quark! It's been so long." Ishka commented as she hugged Rom, who was a bit of a moogie's boy.

"Hello, Quark, Rom." Zek said with his old voice, full of wisdom.

"So, what brings you to DS9?" Quark wondered.

"Me and your mother were on our way to Risa, when she had an idea." Zek began.

"Yes," Ishka continued what Zek said, "I thought we should spend some extra time investing in the Gamma Quadrant, before things get worse. Plus, I wanted to see my two sons."

"Well then, let's go to the bar for some drinks." Quark said, pleased to see his family again.

They walked off back to Quark's bar.

In ops, Captain Sisko stood behind Nog at his counsel.

"Captain," Nog said, "There are some unusual readings coming from the other end of the wormhole."

"What kind of readings?" Sisko inquired.

"Not sure, Benjamin." Jadzia began. "Readings are on all levels of the spectrum. "

"Can you be more specific? Is it anything of Dominion origin?" Sisko worried that this could be a scheme by their enemies on the other side of the wormhole.

"No, but if we send a runabout, we could get much superior readings." Nog explained his theory.

"Alright then, Major Kira, Dax, take the _Rio Grande_ though the wormhole and find out what those readings are." Sisko ordered.

"Yes, sir" Kira responded.

The runabout lifted up from the docking pad. It set course toward the Denorios Plasma Belt, and the swirls of the Bajoran Wormhole opened up, swallowing the runabout.

In Martok's office, Worf was in conference with the General.

"General, there is something else I must say." Worf spoke with the utmost concern.

Sensing Worf's concern, Martok grew cautious. "Well, what is it?"

"It is the Romulans." Worf began. "They are expanding again, even faster than three months ago. "

"And what of the Neutral Zone, has it been expanded as well?" Martok asked.

"Yes." Worf pulled up a hologram of how it was now. "It now surrounds its new territories."

"We'll just have to keep an eye on them." Martok said with a sigh. "I believe it is time for the Empire to start expanding again."

"Yes, the Empire hasn't expanded for years now." Worf said.

"Any ideas on where we could colonize?" Martok asked.

"There are many unclaimed planets 20 light-years from Alpha Carinae, most of them are Classes J through O along with the rest of the spectrum." Worf explained. "Most of them are perfect for colonization."

"Good, now I can issue a report to Chancellor Gowron. Worf, you are bringing a new day for the Empire!" Martok said with a hearty Klingon laugh.

In Quark's Bar, the Nagus was making arrangements with Quark.

"Quark," the Nagus began," I'd like to host a little banquet here in honor of the Ferengi success in the Gamma Quadrant."

"Of course, Nagus. Um, who might be coming?" Quark asked slowly.

"Well, of course there's me, your mother, you Quark, Rom, his son and that Bajoran girl he likes, and some... honored guests." Zek explained.

"What do you mean by 'honored guests'?" Quark said, wondering what the Nagus meant.

"Whoever! Have each of us to bring a guest or two, a friend or associate." Zek said as he planned the banquet.

"Alright. Nagus, if I may be so bold to ask who is going to fund this little banquet?" Quark asked nervously.

"I will!" Zek exclaimed. "And at what ever price you see fit. How does twenty bars of gold-pressed latnum sound?"

"More than enough, Zek." Quark said thankfully, and gave a Ferengi bow.

"Just what I thought." Zek said with a laugh. "Now, I must have use of a holosuite." He gave another laugh.

"I'll get the usual program ready." Quark told Zek, knowing what program he had in mind.

A couple of hours later, Jake and Nog were in their quarters talking.

"Come on. Jake! I had dinner with your father many times, and besides," Nog said, "you can't refuse the Nagus."

Jake realized that he owed it to his good friend. "Alright, Nog. I'll come to dinner with your family tonight."

"Thanks, Jake!" Nog was relieved. When his father told him he should invite a friend, he didn't think Jake would come." It's going to be at 1800 hours in the Banquet Hall at Quark's."

"I didn't know Quark had a banquet hall." Jake said jokingly.

"Well, it's just a table upstairs, but it's just as good." Nog explained. "I'm going to spend the next two hours with in holosuite three, if you want to come." Nog steeped toward the door.

"Sure, I'll be there in a couple of minutes." Jake responded.

Jake made his way to a turbolift and instructed it to proceed to Ops. He got to the back door to his father's office and hit the door chime.

"Come in." Sisko commanded. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey, dad. About tonight, I'm not going to be able to make it to dinner with you." Jake said.

"Oh, that's okay, maybe some other time then." Sisko spoke with a sigh.

"Yeah, I was looking forward to it, but I owe it to Nog, he wants me to have dinner with his family." Jake said. "See you later, dad."

"Bye, Jake." Sisko said as he got back to work.

Jake steeped out the door, and went to find Nog in Quark's.

In Ops, Rejaem, a female half Klingon/ half Bajoran, looked up from her counsel.

"Chief." Rejaem called O'Brien's attention.

"Yes, Rejaem?" Miles questioned what she found.

"The _Rio Grande_ is exiting the wormhole, requesting permission to dock." Rejaem said with her head still in the counsel.

"Tell them to land on pad two." O'Brian commanded.

"Yes, sir." Rejaem called out.

The door rolled open, and Major Kira and Commander Dax stepped out. They walked down the corridor, and went on a turbolift. When they got to Ops, Kira went straight to a counsel.

"Kira to Sisko." Kira said into her communicator.

"Go ahead, Major." Sisko responded.

"I'm back with data on the strange readings, and I need you in ops." Kira said nervously.

Hearing the major's concern, Sisko responded quickly. "I'm on my way." The captain stood up, and headed out his office door to Ops.

"What is it, Dax?" Sisko asked.

Dax began to explain. "Captain, when we read the detailed readings, we realized that these readings were very erratic and ranging all over the spectrum." She pulled up the logs on the terminal. "I cross-referenced it with any historical records, and the results were, stunning."

"What is it?" Sisko inquired.

"It's what I feared, Captain" Kira said. "It's identical to the readings taken from the alien probe that attacked Earth almost ninety years ago. And it's heading on a direct course to the wormhole."

Sisco realized what that meant, the Probe was headed for Bajor, and whether its intention was hostile or friendly, they wouldn't know until it got there...


End file.
